Production is now well underway for Star Wars: Episode IX and not too long ago we heard that Dominic Monaghan, who played Merry in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, had clinched a mystery role in the J.J. Abrams-directed threequel.
Of course, the actor has previously worked with Abrams on LOST, and given that this is his first major foray into a Star Wars movie, fans can’t stop wondering whether he’ll find himself amongst the Resistance, or joining the ranks of the First Order.
That remains to be seen, but from the sounds of it, Monaghan will have a fairly important role. Speaking on the Distraction Pieces podcast, here’s what he shared:
“JJ [Abrams] is a friend of mine and he said to me that at some point I’d get the opportunity to read the script,” the actor explained. “[He told me] ‘just be aware of the fact that there are massive sequences in Act 2, there are massive sequences in Act 3 but because we’re shooting Act 1 first, I’ve put you in there and you seem to not be around as much in Act 2 and Act 3 but that’s because that’s what we’re doing first so I want you here, I want you invested.”
Elsewhere in his chat, the actor also gushed over the script, saying that it’s amazing – though he couldn’t reveal much else.
“(Abrams said)‘So read the script but just know there won’t be long until there’ll be a re-draft of those things and we’ll see you a little bit more’. So I read it, and the script is amazing and obviously, there isn’t a lot I can say..”
Understandably, Monaghan’s remaining pretty tight-lipped here and it’s unlikely we’ll find out who he’s playing until much closer to release. That is, if Lucasfilm doesn’t make us wait until we see the movie itself to learn the details surrounding his role.
Regardless, the Star Wars: Episode IX rumors continue to fly in thick and vast, throwing out everything from Darth Vader easter eggs to a retcon of Rey’s parents. And with the ultra secretive J.J. Abrams intent on keeping it all under wraps, you can expect to remain in the dark for a while longer yet.
